


A Prisoner of Fate

by mx_opossum



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Cafe Leblanc (Persona 5), Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Metaverse is back, Other, Persona 5 Protagonist Has A Palace, Persona 5 Protagonist Has Bad Parents, Persona 5 Spoilers, Ren Amamiya is a bb, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, The Velvet Room (Persona Series)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-13 14:34:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28904943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mx_opossum/pseuds/mx_opossum
Summary: I do not own Persona 5 or any of its characters. Any similarities to any other works are purely coincidental.Six months after returning home from Tokyo, Ren has taken a turn for the worse. Transporting him back to Tokyo is only the first step in his recovery, as his friends find out. Seems that there is one more job for the Phantom Thieves.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Sakamoto Ryuji, Kurusu Akira/Sakamoto Ryuji, Persona 5 Protagonist/Sakamoto Ryuji
Comments: 4
Kudos: 81





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I'm Opossum, and I've loved writing for a long time. I've recently gotten back into it, and here's one of my first fanfictions I've written in years. I am aware that other people have written stories with similar plots; my intention is not to copy or steal ideas! The ideas of Ren having a Palace have bounced around in my head for a while. Yes, I have used inspiration from other works, but I am not trying to take other's ideas!  
> Warnings!  
> -This work contains mentions of self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and domestic abuse.  
> Please read with caution!  
> With all of that out of the way, I hope you guys enjoy!

In March of that year, the renowned Phantom Thieves had disbanded, never to be heard of by the public since. Their last job had been done, after all; the Metaverse had dissipated, and to their knowledge, it wasn’t coming back.  
Ren lay in bed on his back, his phone held above his head. Morgana sat nearby on the floor, licking a paw to drag behind his ears. The black and white feline sighed audibly.

“Hey, Ren?”

No answer…

Morgana gave up rather quickly. He hadn’t been able to elicit a response from Ren in weeks. Even before then, the most he got was a couple words. Ren had always been a man of few words, but it wouldn’t surprise Morgana if he had gone mute entirely.

Ren had been home in Inaba for six months now; if he was honest, he never wanted to return home, but he felt as if he had no choice. Only a few days after returning home, Ren had stopped responding to the messages sent by his friends back in Tokyo. He didn’t want to ignore them in a sense, but he couldn’t muster the energy to reply. He simply found it easier to just keep to himself. After all, that’s what he was doing in person. Why not over text as well?  
Morgana jumped up on the nightstand beside Ren’s bed to take a look at the sullen teen. The dark circles under his eyes worried Morgana, compounded with the fact that Ren had lost weight from refusing to eat. In fact, the boy rarely left his room.

This was understandable, though; Ren’s parents weren’t exactly picture perfect. They were far from it, in actuality. The marriage was more for financial prosperity than anything else. His mother and father did not get along in the slightest. Ren’s days were spent tuning out the yelling and screaming of his parents’ arguments. Morgana wondered how Ren could so easily ignore it. Even after six months, Morgana still couldn’t handle the boisterous fights. On top of this, whenever Ren was caught outside his room during his parents’ fights, he was often used as a scapegoat, which earned him a heated lecture and in some cases a few bruises.

Morgana sighed. Ren couldn’t seem to catch a break, not even at school. His classmates tormented him, writing disheartening messages on his desk, pushing him around, and calling him a monster. Even with his criminal record cleared, Ren was forever labelled a no-good criminal in Inaba.  
When his attention turned back to Ren, the teen had dropped his phone on his nightstand, opting to curl up in a ball, his back to the feline.

Morgana stared at the boy, taking in his increasingly shrinking frame. All spark had faded from his eyes months ago as he sunk into a depression. Morgana’s tail twitched in agitation. He was upset, angry, that he couldn’t do anything to help Ren. He was just a talking cat to the former leader at that point.

_CRASH._  


The sudden noise caused Morgana to jump. Another fight between Ren’s parents, he supposed. He turned his attention to his left, seeing Ren had risen to a sitting position. His knees were pulled to his chest, forehead resting against his legs and his hands pressed to his ears.

_The stress is surely getting to him by now…_ Morgana thought, his ears drooping a small bit.

The cat caught a glimpse of the raven’s eyes; blank, as if he was just a corpse. He might as well be, as he had been neglecting himself for the past few months.  
Morgana growled softly, knowing he had to do something about Ren’s state. There was no way Ren could pull through this; not in these circumstances. More rather, he had no reason to help himself with no one to support him.

The feline took his opportunity when Ren collapsed back on his bed, facing away from Morgana. The cat turned his gaze to the phone next to him on the nightstand. Morgana’s resolve hardened. Surely he could work a phone. He picked a lock and fixed a car in this form. He had to be able to work something as simple as a phone.

Using his nose, he managed to input Ren’s passcode that he had memorized. In the same fashion, he opened the messenger app and opened the Phantom Thieves' group chat, which had been left untouched by Ren for months on end. Slowly but surely, Morgana managed to begin texting in the chat.

**Ren:** guys?

Texts flooded in faster than Morgana had anticipated.

**Ann:** Ren, youre ok!!

**Ryuji:** Renren! Dude, whats with the silence?

**Haru:** I’m so glad you’re alright!

**Yusuke:** It certainly has been a while.

**Ryuji:** Dude, c’mon, reply!

**Makoto:** Give him a moment, Ryuji.

**Futaba:** REN!!!

**Ren:** not ren

**Futaba:** whats that supposed to mean??

**Ren:** its morgana

**Ryuji:** Where’s ren at? We haven’t heard from the man since march

**Haru:** I am happy to hear from you too, Mona-chan! Is Ren-kun there?

**Ren:** hes here

**Ren:** i dont think he wants to talk

**Makoto:** He doesn’t want to talk to us?

**Ryuji:** Cut that bullshit!

**Ann:** Can you ask him?

Morgana sighed, looking up from the phone. “Ren?” A long pause followed before Morgana turned down to the phone.

**Ren:** no answer

**Futaba:** is he even awake?

**Ren:** yes

**Ann:** So why are you texting us, morgana?

Morgana took a minute or two, trying to avoid any typos in his next sentence.

**Ren:** ren needs help

**Ryuji:** Help? Help with what?

**Ren:** hard to explain

**Haru:** Would it be easier to discuss in person?

**Ren:** yes

**Haru:** I have the time now for the drive. Can Ren-kun wait that long?

**Ren:** yes

**Ren:** thank you

**Yusuke:** Be sure to let us know what is going on when you arrive, Haru.

**Ann:** Yeah. Im getting kinda worried.

**Haru:** I’ll be sure to do that! I’ll be there in about 4 hours, Mona-chan.

**Ren:** ok

Morgana huffed; all there was left to do was wait.  
 **. . .**

The hours dragged by slowly as Morgana waited for Haru to arrive. As the time drew near, Morgana moved toward the slightly open window by the nightstand.

“Ren?” Morgana spoke up. When he didn’t get an answer, he continued, “I’m heading out, ok?”

The teen barely stole a glance at Morgana, responding with a heavy exhale. With a sigh of his own, Morgana squeezed through the opening in the window and jumped down to the ground. Ren’s one story home did come in handy in that sense. He looped around, coming to the front of the house. Right on schedule, he saw a shiny black car pull up on the curb. Morgana quickly made his way to the curb where Haru emerged from the car. Upon seeing him, the fluffy haired girl scooped him up into a hug.

“It’s so good to see you Mona-chan!”

After a moment, she set the feline down, crouching to his level.

“So… what’s going on?” she asked.

Morgana glanced down at his paws. “Ren… hasn’t been great lately. It’s a lot to discuss and I don’t know how much time we have until he just… breaks, you know? I was thinking, maybe it’s the place? His parents aren’t great. Maybe we could bring him back to Tokyo?”

Haru nodded, though she didn’t fully understand. “Should we go in and get him?”

Morgana shook his head. “I doubt it’d be that easy. It’s definitely going to take a bit of planning. As much as I hate to leave him here alone, maybe it’d be best to get the rest together and discuss our plan of action.”

As Haru nodded, she led Morgana back into the car. Both glanced ruefully at the small countryside house as the car departed down the street, en route to Tokyo.  
 **. . .**

The next day, the Phantom Thieves met at Leblanc, minus Ren. Sojiro, too, was present for the meeting.

Ryuji leaned forward in his chair, elbows against his legs. “So. Ren needs help, you said? We need more than just that.”

Morgana shook his head. “I explained it to Haru on the way back here,” he said, pausing.

Haru took this pause upon herself to continue. “Yes, he did explain. I can repeat it to you all, to save translating for Mona-chan.”

As Morgana shot Haru a grateful glance, she began to retell the story. The others listened silently as Haru explained his negligent and borderline abusive parents and the treatment he received at school. She continued, elaborating on his silence and mental state.

“...So, we need to discuss a plan to bring him back here. Of course, if it’s alright with you, Boss,” Haru ended.

Sojiro had been standing against the stair rails, listening and contemplating the information that he had been given. He was cold to the boy when they had first met, but since then, the shop owner had grown a fondness for him.

“As if you need to ask if it’s alright with me. The kid’s always got a home here,” he said with certainty.

The group breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Makoto jumped in next. “So, as far as getting him back here, what’s the plan? Can we expect his parents to just… give him up?”

Morgana’s tail flicked side to side as he thought.

“His parents don’t seem to especially care about him, but they’re both very prideful people. I’d be surprised if it didn’t take some pressure to get them to agree. Besides, we solve nothing if he’s still legally under their care.”

Ann spoke up next. “Makoto, do you think your sister could help with that? I mean, if his father does actually…” she hesitated, “...hit… him, then couldn’t she make a case if they don’t agree to give him up?”

Makoto ponders this suggestion. “I’m sure she could. It depends on the evidence she can find, but knowing her, she’d find a way.”

“I see,” Yusuke hummed. “With all that… who will go to get Ren? I suppose he could find his way here by himself, like before, but with the sound of it that may be a bad idea.”

Ryuji immediately spoke up. “I’ll go! For sure. He’s helped me so much, I wanna be right there for him when we confront those bastards we call his parents!”

“M-Me too!” Futaba interjected, standing up from her seat. “Listening to this reminds me of myself before you all changed my heart… We’ve gotta do something.”

Makoto nodded. “So… Ryuji and Futaba,” the girl muttered. “Um, Boss? If this isn’t too much to ask, could you maybe accompany them? I think it’d be best if an adult was with them to talk to Ren’s parents.

Sojiro sighed, knowing this meant his shop would probably be closed for the day. Not like it got much business to begin with. It’d just be a one time thing, only for this.  
After a moment, the group got a response.

“Yeah, sure. I’ll go with them,” Sojiro agreed.

The group of teens silently celebrated at a small victory. With the first part of their plan set and ready to go, the teens decided on a date. Futaba insisted on helping Ren as soon as possible, as did Ryuji. After much negotiation, the group decided that the three would pick up Ren in two days' time, giving Sae enough time to make documents for custody transfer.

**. . .**

Two days later, just as planned, Sojiro stood in front of the small home with Futaba and Ryuji in tow. Before knocking on the door, Sojiro glanced over his shoulder at the two teens.

"Look, I know there's a lot you wanna say to these people, but keep yourselves in check. We're here to get Ren, not start a fight," he said, glaring pointedly at Ryuji.

Ryuji grumbled an inaudible reply with a reluctant nod.

Sojiro turned back to the door, rapping his knuckles against the wood three times. After a few moments of awkward silence, the door swung open. In the frame stood a slender lady with black hair and silver eyes. It was clear that Ren resembled his mother.

"Hello, how may I help you?" the woman greeted curtly.

"Sojiro Sakura," the elder man introduced, holding out his hand. "I'm the one who housed your son during his probation."

After considering this, the woman took Sojiro's hand and shook it. "Gin Amamiya. What brings you here?"

"We came to talk about Ren."

Gin stood in the threshold silently for what seemed like several minutes.

"Please, come inside," she invited. As she turned and walked back in, she called, "Eichi! We have guests!"

They approached the living room, and Gin motioned to seats for them to sit on. Ryuji and Futaba took to the couch, while Sojiro sat down in an armchair. After everyone had been seated, Ren's mother sat herself on the loveseat across from Sojiro. Before the silence could be broken, a door opened near the room. From it came a tall, sturdy man with cropped black hair. He glanced at the guests with a blank expression, coming to stand by the loveseat.

Gin pointed to Sojiro. "That's Sakura, the one who took Ren off our hands for a year, remember?"

The man, presumably Eichi Amamiya, nodded.

"They want to talk about Ren."

At this, Eichi's face furrowed in displeasure. "What about him?"

Sojiro shot a glance at the two teens. Ryuji already seemed agitated, while Futaba sat with an unreadable expression.

"He made a lot of good friends in Tokyo. They haven't heard from him since he got back. They've been worried. I wanted to make sure Ren was okay," Sojiro explained.

"He's fine," Gin answered all too quickly. "I don't know why you would bother yourself to make this drive for that."

Although the conversation had barely started, Ryuji couldn't calm himself any longer.

"'Fine'? That's bullshit," Ryuji hissed, standing up. Sojiro tried to interrupt, but Ryuji kept going. "I know Ren. He wouldn't just cut us off like that." Angrily, the blond turned to Eichi. "You. You're hittin' him, aren't you?'' he growled, gritting his teeth.

Eichi didn't lose composure to the angered teen in front of him. "So that's what this is about? If you want that bastard child so badly, show me the adoption papers. I'll gladly sign."

Sojiro scoffed. "Good thing we came prepared," he replied, pulling the documents out his bag along with a pen.

Eichi responded with a hum, taking the pen and form and placing it on the table. He flipped through the documents, finding where to sign his name and quickly proceeded to do so. He handed off the pen to his wife, then turned to face down the hallway past the small kitchen.

" _REN!_ " the man's voice boomed, echoing in the small home.

Immediately, a door clicked down the hallway. Sojiro, Ryuji, and Futaba all focused their attention on the end of the hallway. They were shocked with the sight that met them.

Ren stepped out, disheveled and exhausted. His hair clearly hadn't been combed in a while, and his eyes betrayed the fact he went many sleepless nights. Ryuji stared at what appeared to be a husk of his friend. Was it just him, or had Ren lost weight? Needless to say, Ren's state was concerning in the least.

Ren stood looking at his father, not even minding a glance to his friends and former caretaker.

"Guess what, you lucky bastard? You're out of here for good. How's it feel now that you've finally told someone what happens here, huh?" Eichi asked cynically.

Ren merely gave his father a confused look. "I didn't…"

The teen was cut off with a loud clap. Ren's glasses clattered to the ground from the force of the backhand he had received from Eichi. Though his head turned with the force and he staggered on his heels, the boy still stood straight. Before any of Ren's confidants could break the stunned silence, Gin stepped forward to Sojiro.

"Here," she said, producing the papers and pen, "he's all yours, Sakura-san."

"Pack your shit up," Eichi commanded a still shocked Ren.

With a slight grunt, Ren complied, bending down to retrieve his glasses before turning back down the hall and trudging to his room.

A growl festered in the back of Ryuji’s throat, but he managed to swallow it down and walk past Eichi, tailing Ren down the hell. Futaba scurried after the blond boy as Sojiro finished sorting things out with Ren’s birth parents.

Ren must’ve noticed the two following him, for he neglected to close his door when he returned to his bedroom. To him, it was the same old same old, but to Futaba and Ryuji, his room was unkempt and messy. As Ren pulled a suitcase out of his closet, Ryuji cleared his throat, wanting to speak but not knowing exactly what to say in the moment. He watched Ren take shirts off the hangers, haphazardly throwing them into the suitcase by his feet. He did the same with his other clothing items, creating a lumpy pile in the bag. Despite this, the raven haired boy managed to close and zip it up with a bit of pressure from his palm.

After propping the suitcase to a standing position, Ren moved on to stuffing miscellaneous items in smaller shoulder bags. He still had yet to spare a mere glance at his two friends. Ryuji sighed, stepping forward to start helping Ren load his things into a bag. The air felt so thick and heavy on his chest that he could no longer stand to keep quiet.

“How’ve you been, Ren?” he asked, his words slicing through the awkward silence like a knife.

A few seconds passed before the other mumbled, “Fine.”

Ryuji looked to his side at the boy, disappointed in the one word reply. He found his eyes moving to his friend’s cheek, already showing slight bruising as the skin reddened. “How’s your face feelin’? That looks like it stings,” the blond commented.

Ren simply shrugged to answer Ryuji’s question; as if that counted as an answer at all. Ren turned his attention upwards to a shelf and extended an arm to grab something on it. Both Futaba and Ryuji looked up to see what he would grab, but found themselves greeted with an unsettling sight. It was only for a brief moment that the raven’s sleeve slid down to reveal his wrist, but the scars showed; some pink and faded, others red and fresh. It was alarming to the two, as Ryuji gawked in silence and Futaba stifled a gasp. Neither paid any attention to what Ren had retrieved from the shelf as he crouched to drop it in his bag, his sleeve falling to cover his arm again.

Ryuji exhaled shakily, before beginning, “Nnh.. Uh, is your arm okay, man?”

Ren froze for a moment, eyes glued to the bag in front of him, knees folded up to his stomach. “Ah…” the troubled boy murmured. “They did… from… school.”

Ryuji didn’t manage to catch Ren’s entire explanation, only a few words; the teen was speaking so quietly that Ryuji’s ears strained to hear him. All he caught was something about school. Morgana had mentioned Ren being bullied, but to that extent? It was doubtful, but what was even more doubtful was the notion of getting more information from Ren. The poor teen looked ready to collapse at a moment’s notice.

The three shuffled around a silent room for about ten minutes more before Ren seemed satisfied in all the objects he had packed. He picked up two of his smaller bags on one arm, grabbing the handle of his suitcase with his free hand. Ryuji assisted by grabbing the last shoulder bag and following Ren as he practically dragged his feet out of the room. The blond and Futaba shared a rueful glance before returning to the living room of the suburban home.

Ren’s parents seemed satisfied at the departure of their son; in fact, neither were in the room anymore. Sojiro stood by a wall by himself to wait for the boys and his daughter.

When the three stepped into view, Sojiro looked at them. “Your… Ah, your parents left the house for the day. Sorry, kid…”

The kid in question shook his head. “Nothing new.”

Sojiro’s gaze fell with his shoulders. Quickly, he picked his posture back up, continuing, “Well… ready to head out then?”

When Ren nodded, Sojiro led the way out with the three teens close behind. With Ren’s luggage packed into the back of the rather small car, the four piled in and began their few hour long trip to the city.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! I hit serious writer's block for a couple weeks but I finally pumped chapter two out, and I'm already getting a head start on chapter three! I'm so happy to see people are enjoying this so far!! I've had a lot of school work lately, so sorry if my updates are kind of slow...!!

“Hey, you awake?”

Ren blinked open his eyes, having dozed off on the long drive. He hummed an affirmative answer, using his sleeve to push up his glasses and rub his tired eyes. He turned to Sojiro, who had asked him the question.

“We’re back,” Sojiro explained, twisting his car keys out of the ignition. 

Ren nodded silently, turning to exit the car. Ryuji got out after him, following him to the trunk to retrieve his baggage. Futaba stayed behind for a moment, debating internally whether or not to speak.

Sojiro shuffled, as if getting ready to get out, causing Futaba to speak suddenly.

“S-Sojiro?” she began.

Sojiro turned to look over the shoulder of the car seat. “Hm? What is it, Futaba?”

Futaba questioned, “Were… you gonna have Ren stay in the Leblanc attic again?”

“Well, I guess I was. He’s already lived there so I figured he’d prefer it,” Sojiro answered. “Why do you ask? Is there something wrong?”

“Uh… yeah, I guess you could say that,” Futaba replied shakily. “I’m kinda hesitant to say it since it's personal, I guess, but… I think you should know.”

Sojiro furrowed his brow. “Alright. Go on.”

The ginger girl took a deep breath. “Back at Ren’s parents’ house, when Ryuji and I went back into his room… Ren was reaching for something and his sleeve fell back and…” Futaba paused. “...He has cuts. I think he tried to say he didn’t do them but...”

Sojiro stared in silence for what seemed like several minutes. Slowly, he started nodding. “You’re worried about leaving him alone then?”

Futaba mumbled a yes, and Sojiro sighed aloud.

“Kid must be going through a lot, huh,” he muttered to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’ll take care of it, Futaba, don’t you worry.”

Sojiro opened the door, stepping out of the small car and turning to where the boys were unpacking the trunk.

Ryuji was the only one to speak upon seeing the man emerge. “Hey Boss, we taking his stuff down to Leblanc?” he asked.

Sojiro exhaled before responding. “Actually… I’m gonna have the kid stay at my place this time ‘round,” he decided. “That’s okay with you, right, Ren?”

Ren stared down at the ground with a blank face. After a moment, he muttered, “Yes.”

“Great. There’s a spare bedroom you can have on the first floor. I mean, we’re gonna be legally family soon, so I don’t see why you shouldn’t live with us,” Sojiro said, smiling at the teen.

The black haired boy nodded, turning to walk toward the Sakura residence. Ryuji stumbled after him, not wanting to be left behind--or, more accurately, not wanting Ren to be alone.

Futaba soon stepped out of the car, and Sojiro motioned for her to come along and follow the rest. The car horn sounded once when Sojiro locked it, and the two headed after the boys.

Upon catching up, Sojiro went ahead to unlock the gate and front door. As they slowly walked in, Ryuji glanced at Ren.

“Nice that you don’t gotta stay in that dusty ol’ attic again, huh?” he asked, half-jokingly. 

“I guess so.”

Sojiro led them to a guest room with a neatly made twin bed against the far wall along with a dresser, nightstand, and other commodities. 

“Definitely an upgrade from the attic, huh?” Sojiro asked Ren. “Anyway, you can just set your things down for now. I bet your friends are waiting for you at the cafe right now. You don’t gotta stay long, but I think they’d be happy to see you after all these months.”

Ren nodded, setting his bags on the dresser and rolling his suitcase beside it on the ground. Promptly, he turned back around, and as the others began to walk, he followed behind them. Ryuji and Futaba fell back to walk beside Ren as they got out onto the backstreets.  
“Everyone’s gonna be super happy to see you, Ren,” Futaba spoke. “It’s been so long since we’ve heard from you. If it gets to be too much for your first day back though, just say something, yeah?”

Ryuji nodded in agreement. “Yeah, no need to push yourself! I mean, you’ve had a long six months with you parents, huh? You must be pretty exhausted.”

Ren shrugged. He looked as if he was about to say something, but seemed to change his mind as he focused on the pavement under his feet. Ryuji furrowed his brow, gazing at his melancholy friend. The four walked the rest of the way to Leblanc in silence.

The bell above the door rang when the panelled door swung open to the pleasant cafe. A group of people sitting in one of the faux leather booths shot up at the sound. Sojiro stepped aside, holding the door open with his foot for the three teens that sauntered in. Ryuji and Futaba excitedly greeted their friends upon entering, while Ren kept his eyes fixed downward.

Ann was the first to scramble out of the booth and greet the dark-haired boy. “Ren!! It’s been so long. I mean, only six months, I guess… But it’s felt like forever, y’know? I’m so glad to see you again!”

Barely looking Ann in the eye, Ren managed a small smile, though it seemed forced. “Yeah…” he mumbled.

Makoto gave him a warm smile, “Come and sit down with us!”

Ren obeyed, taking a seat in the booth and making room for Ryuji to sit next to him. The group talked for about an hour, though it was mostly spent catching Ren up on things that the group had done while he bobbed his head. The former leader said very few words throughout the reunion, and Ryuji noted how his fingers fidgeted in his lap.

From behind the cafe counter, Sojiro interrupted, “I hate to shut it down, but y’all should catch the last trains. It’s gettin’ pretty late, and I’m sure the kid is tired.”  
One after another, the group said good night to each other, and to Ren especially. After the rest had gone, Ryuji was the only non-resident left.

“Are you not gonna go home, Ryuji?” Futaba asked the blond.

Ryuji glanced at Ren, staring blankly at the table in front of him, before turning back to Sojiro. “If you don’t mind Boss, could I just stay over? I kinda wanna talk with Ren,” he questioned, before hastily turning to the friend in question. “If you’re okay with that, that is, Renren,” he added.

Sojiro pondered this for a minute. “I guess that’s fine. Just make sure your mom gets word, ‘kay? Head on over to my place while I close up shop.”

The three teens, along with an unusually quiet Morgana, heeded his words and ventured onto the backstreets of Yongen. 

Breaking the peaceful silence of the night, Futaba glanced down to the feline, asking, “You’ve been awfully quiet, Mona. Are you good?”

Morgana twitched his ears. “Yeah, I’m alright. I’ve just been thinking. Ah, by the way, Ren,” he continued when the boy glanced in his direction, “ I wanted to say sorry for leaving so suddenly before. I figured you weren’t happy in Inaba, so I took it upon myself to get you back here. I hope you’re not upset.”

Ren shook his head. “It’s okay.”

Soon enough, the quartet had entered Sojiro’s residence. Morgana opted to stay in Futaba’s room for the night while Ryuji followed Ren to his new bedroom. Immediately, Ren sat himself on his bed, hanging his head to stare at his folded hands on his legs. Ryuji made a worried face in the direction of Ren, deciding to take a seat next to him on the mattress.

A few moments of strained silence passed before Ryuji spoke up. “So… uh… long day, huh?”

Ren didn’t respond. Ryuji sighed quietly. He’d never been good with all this emotional stuff… It’s not that he didn’t know what to say, he _knew_ what he wanted to say, what he wanted to tell his friend. He swallowed as he felt the words catch in his throat.

“Ren, I…” he hesitated. “You don’t gotta talk if you don’t wanna. I just wanted to let you know that… I guess, I know how it feels. Y’know, to have an abusive dad…”

Ren perked up ever so slightly, as the only indication that he was listening to Ryuji. Ryuji took this cue to keep going.

“It… It really sucks. The people who are supposed to love you and care for you turning on you. Hitting you and yelling at you. It really messes with your head. I couldn’t even imagine if my mom was like my father… It must’ve been hell for you to deal with both your folks,” he sympathized. “And… Morgana told us the gist of what happened to you at school. Kids are monsters, man,” he said with a forced laugh.

After a moment, Ren mumbled, “How much did Morgana tell you all?”

The question caught Ryuji slightly off guard, but he quickly pulled himself together. “Ah, well… He told us about the fights your parents have… the abuse and yelling at you… how the kids at school treated you… that’s about it, I think,” the blond recollected.

Ren nodded solemnly, going silent.

Ryuji breathed deeply, not expecting to get much out of Ren, especially with this next piece…

“About… your wrist…”

Out of the corner of his eye, Ryuji noticed Ren visibly tense up.

Ryuji dropped his voice as he continued. “I… It wasn’t the kids at school that did that. I can tell that much, Ren.”

Ren made some kind of noise, though Ryuji couldn’t discern whether it was just his breathing or if he had said something.

“It’s not that I’m upset or… gah, I don’t know…” Ryuji sighed. “What kind of shit happened that led you to… doing that to yourself?” Immediately, he caught himself. “I… Sorry, you don’t have to answer that.”

Much to Ryuji’s surprise, Ren straightened up, though he was still staring downward. “I don’t really know,” Ren responded.

The black-haired teen opened his palms, looking down at them. “The first time I wasn’t really thinking about it. I was just feeling low and… nothing else was working. I tried all those alternatives, like the ice or rubber bands. I didn’t really _want_ to in a sense… I just did. After that first time, I just didn’t stop. It just let something out, I guess.”

Ryuji stared at Ren, his brow creased in concern. He was glad Ren was opening up… but damn, it was such a hard subject.

“...Futaba told Sojiro, I think,” Ren continued. “That’s why I’m here. I bet first thing tomorrow after you leave he’s gonna come search my stuff,” he speculated with a heavy sigh.

“...Have you thought about therapy, or somethin’?” Ryuji suggested.

Ren grimaced. “No thanks.”

Ryuji decided to change the subject. “Ah… how long have you felt like this? Did it start when you went back to Inaba in March?”

Ren thought about this in silence for several minutes. “I mean, I guess I’ve always felt like this. Not this bad, sure, but… it’s been for as long as I can remember. The year I was in Tokyo was great, though. I definitely felt happy that year… but now it just doesn’t feel the same for some reason.”

The blond pouted at this. “Why doesn’t it?”

“I don’t know. I guess I felt strong being here for the year. When I went back to Inaba I thought I could handle all the shit at home. I found out I was dead wrong, though. Kinda makes me feel like I’m not as strong as I acted in the Metaverse. Outside of being Joker I’m just a pushover,” Ren rambled on. “Whatever… It doesn’t matter, anyway. I don’t need any help.”

Ryuji opened his mouth to speak, but Ren quickly shut it down.

“I’m… just gonna go to sleep, if that’s okay,” he said, setting his glasses on the nightstand next to his bed. “Sojiro mentioned something about a futon in the closet…”

Ryuji nodded, getting up and headed toward the closet. “Yeah, sure. Night, dude.”

By the time Ryuji had gotten the futon from the closet, Ren had turned to face the wall as he lay on his side. He hadn’t even bothered to change out of his clothes. Ryuji heaved a sigh, setting down the bedding and turning in for the night himself.

Hours later, Ryuji still couldn’t fall asleep as he stared at his phone held above his face. The room was silent, almost eerily so; the only sounds were Ryuji’s occasional shuffling and Ren’s breathing. Without warning, the device buzzed in his hand. Confused, Ryuji tapped the notification that popped up at the top of his screen.

 _Who is up at this time?_ Ryuji thought with a grimace. _A text from… Futaba?_

**Futaba:** Ryuji!! are you awake??

 **Ryuji:** Why the eff are you up? Go to bed

 **Futaba:** Then why are YOU up?

 **Ryuji:** Touche. What is it?

 **Futaba:** Ren’s asleep, right?

 **Ryuji:** Yeah. Why?

 **Futaba:** Come upstairs. And fast! Don’t wake up Ren though. Or Sojiro.

 **Ryuji:** Fine. hold on.

With a huff, Ryuji rose and began opening the door, keeping as quiet as possible so as to not wake his friend. Keeping his footsteps light, he went up the stairs and to Futaba’s room. He knocked softly before opening the door.

As soon as the door shut behind him, Futaba muttered, “Took you long enough.”

“I was tryin’ not to wake Ren up!” Ryuji retorted.

“He’s a pretty heavy sleeper, actually,” Morgana commented.

“Whatever,” Ryuji scoffed. “Now what is it?”

Futaba hopped up from her seat and shoved her phone in Ryuji’s face.

“Look.”

Ryuji leaned back a bit, letting his vision focus on the screen. He was confused for a moment, before spotting a familiar red icon… one with a black eye in the center.

“Is… is that the effin’ MetaNav? There’s no way. We destroyed the Metaverse,” Ryuji said as Futaba took her phone away.

“Only one way to test if it’s real!” Futaba announced, tapping it with her finger.

Both Ryuji and Morgana huddled close to Futaba as the app opened.

“What do you plan to do to test it?” Morgana asked curiously.

Futaba didn’t answer for several tense moments. Eventually, she spoke into her phone’s speaker. “...Ren Amamiya.”

**Hit.**

“ _What?_ ” Ryuji breathed, just as stunned as Morgana seemed to be.

After recovering from the shock, Ryuji turned to the cat. “You lying bastard! You said people with Personas couldn’t have Palaces!”

“I wasn’t lying!” Morgana spat. “It shouldn’t be possible that the Metaverse even exists anymore!”

“Maybe he technically doesn’t have a Persona since we destroyed the Metaverse?” Futaba speculated. “Then he got a Palace before he could become a Persona user again.”

Morgana hummed, scratching his ear with his hind leg. “I suppose that makes the most sense.”

“Should we call the rest of the Phantom Thieves to meet tomorrow?” Futaba asked. “Though, I don’t know if we can meet at Leblanc with Ren being here… If he knew he had a Palace, there’s no way he’d be happy with us going into it.”

“Maybe we could meet at the platform in Shibuya?” Ryuji suggested. “It’d be away from where Ren could walk in on us.”

Futaba agreed, “That would work. We should meet after school tomorrow. We’ll have to see if Makoto and Haru are free around college, though.”

“I’m sure we’ll make something work,” Morgana assured her.

The three confirmed the beginning of their plan, and with a lot of resistance, Ryuji convinced Futaba to go to sleep; he returned to Ren’s room, finally closing his eyes and letting sleep overcome him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to edit all this stuff after pasting it into Ao3 is so much effort so I kinda just didn't and I'm gonna hope it turns out fine. Chapter three will likely come a bit faster since I'm getting on it right after I finish uploading this! Sorry for any formatting errors, I'm too lazy to learn this entirely akldsjdkfjd


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't realize the end notes compounded on each other oh no. anyway. heres chapter three.

The following day, the group, minus Ren, stood at the Shibuya platform overlooking the street below. Each one stood in silence, processing the information Futaba had presented to them.

“So… Ren-kun has a palace,” Haru murmured, looking saddened by the thought.

Yusuke noted, “This sounds similar to Futaba’s state when she had a Palace.”

“It does…” Morgana agreed. “I think we all know we have to go into his palace.”

The group fell silent at this.

“I kind of feel like it’s going behind Ren’s back,” Ann pointed out.

“It does. But what else can we do? He’s not even taking care of himself,” Ryuji argued. “We can’t just leave him to sit in this funk.”

Makoto sighed. “As much as I hate to leave Ren in the dark, I think Ryuji is right in this case. He’s helped us so much, so let’s look at this as repaying the favor. Do you know the rest of his keywords, Futaba?”

The ginger shook her head. “I didn’t try. Let’s just throw out words for his distortion.”

Soon, everyone was throwing out words that popped into their heads.

“Grave.”

**Target not found.**

“Hell?”

**Target not found.**

“Prison.”

**Hit.**

Everyone glanced at Makoto, who had thrown out the winning word.

Makoto, in response to the looks, explained, “I figured it would make sense, since he’s been on probation and all.”

Morgana nodded. “Alright. Now all we need is what he views as a prison. This one will be the difficult one.”

Again, words were thrown left and right in attempts.

“Inaba.”

**Target not found.**

“Ren’s parents house?”

**Target not found.**

“Leblanc?”

**Target not found.**

“Sojiro Sakura’s house.”

**Target not found.**

“Shujin Academy.”

**Target not found.**

“Tokyo.”

**Target not found.**

“Japan!”

**Target not found.**

“Goddammit!” Ryuji cursed. “Nothing we can think of is working!”

Morgana sighed. “This is really odd… Haven’t we gone over all the places Ren is around a lot?”

Yusuke began thinking aloud. “What if Ren views wherever he goes as a prison? That would mean it’s bigger than just Japan. It’d be… well, everywhere.”

**Target found. Beginning navigation…**

“What the hell?! That actually worked?!” Ryuji exclaimed as the scenery warped around them.

Before anyone else could react, the Phantom Thieves stood before a large stone prison, barred windows, electric fence, watchtowers and all. The group all glanced around at each other, noticing their attire hadn’t changed.

“It’s safe to say he doesn’t view us as threats,” Morgana said, addressing their clothing, though he himself had changed into his Metaverse form. “I doubt it’ll stay that way for long, though.”

As a unit, the group moved toward the gate in the fencing, which was conveniently unlocked; as was the front door to the prison itself. Entering in, the teens were greeted with a wide open lobby with cells lining the walls. Stairs near the back led upwards, where cells also covered every inch of wallspace, aside from two large double doors that could be seen from the entrance.

“Okay. We may not have a leader, but let’s do this just like always. Let’s secure a route to his treasure!” Morgana announced.

Before anyone could agree, the double doors at the top of the stairs swung open. From it emerged Ren. Or, someone who looked eerily similar to Ren.

“Yo…” Ryuji breathed. “Is that his shadow…?”

The piercing yellow eyes answered the question better than any of his teammates could have. The shadow was dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit, which was jarring to look at given the drab scenery. His wrists had handcuffs locked around them, though the chain was broken in the middle, giving Ren free reign to move his arms. The shadow sneered as he looked down upon the group, who stood in defensive positions. Ren’s lookalike descended the stairs, coming to stand several feet ahead of the Thieves.

“What business do you have here?” the shadow asked in what sounded like Ren’s voice, though was underlaid by an echo.

Ryuji jumped in before anyone else could answer. “We’re here to help you, Ren!”

Ren’s shadow snickered before breaking out in laughter. “Oh, are you now? That’s cute.” His playful demeanor was gone as fast as it had appeared, replaced by a sinister stare. “You want my treasure, don’t you? Let me save you some hard work: it’s nothing worth your time. Either way, who cares if you take it or not? I’m just going to rot away anyways. I’m beyond any kind of redemption. A bastard child, a magnet of bad luck. A silly bundle of thieves won’t change that.”

Ren’s shadow disappeared in a cloud of black smoke, leaving the lot to contemplate what they had been told.

“Mona-chan, what his shadow just said… Does that reflect Ren-kun’s thoughts in the real world?” Haru inquired, glancing at her feline-esque companion.

Morgana shook his head, his arms crossed. “I’d say so, yeah.”

Ryuji growled. “We don’t have time to wallow over this shit!”

As he spoke, a mysterious gust washed over the group; with it, their outfits changed into their traditional Phantom Thieves attire.

“Well… He views us as a threat now. Remember, guys, this is just Ren’s shadow. It’s not actually  _ him _ , in a sense. Don’t take what he says personally,” Makoto warned.

Keeping the warning in mind, the group advanced up the stairs and through the opened double doors.

“It’s odd…” Morgana mumbled, half to himself.

“What is?” Ann piped up.

“There aren’t any Shadows…”

The rest took a moment to look around, seeing the truth in Morgana’s statement. From her Persona, Futaba’s voice came through.

“Mona’s right. There aren’t any shadows at all on the first two floors.”

“Should we take this opportunity to split up and explore?” Yusuke suggested.

“No, that’s too risky,” Makoto declined. “He could just ambush us once we’re alone. He’s not going to be as kind as our Ren is.”

The rest nodded in agreement. They proceeded through winding halls, past empty cells, and over any barriers on the ground. After a while of searching, they came upon a room with a door different from the others. Upon entering the room, they discovered a stairway gated by metal bars. In the middle of the room was a table with what seemed to be a large number of case files on top. Resting on the top of the stack was a card, which Ryuji proceeded to grab and read.

“The card you need is hidden within one of these folders… Good luck…”

It wasn’t long before papers were scattered throughout the room, as all seven began digging through separate folders. Instead of files, however, the folders were filled with pictures of Ren and his parents.

“If I have to guess, these pictures are from before Ren was arrested,” Ann theorized.

“He doesn’t look very happy in any of them,” Haru noted.

Ryuji listened to this conversation as he threw an emptied folder to the side. He grabbed a new folder, noting a change in colour. “Hey, guys, this one is a different color. It's blue instead of that tan color,” he said aloud.

Opening the folder, Ryuji was greeted with another card.

“Easier than you thought, no? Or maybe you did waste your time going through the rest…” Ryuji grunted, “How were we supposed to know? This one was buried under a whole effin’ pile.”

His friends gathered around as Ryuji threw some papers aside until a keycard was the object left inside. It looked normal aside from the dark smudge across its front.

“Is…” Ann started. “Is that dried blood on it?”

Having it pointed out showed Ryuji that she was right; the dark stain was definitely blood. It was offsetting to say the least, but he didn’t have time to be worried about that. Not when Ren was suffering in the real world. Without answering, the blond turned to the gated wall, looking for a slit to insert the card into. When he had found it, he shoved the card into it, allowing the bars to raise with an ear-piercing screech. As the party headed up the stairwell, they were caught off guard by a sudden loud noise. It sounded like Ren’s voice, but no words could be heard; the screaming was indecipherable and almost painful to listen to. Through his screams were strangled sobs, or so it sounded. The noise soon died away, leaving the group with heavy hearts and ringing in their ears.

Ryuji felt anger rise in the base of his throat. What kind of shit had people put Ren through to cause him so much suffering? It seemed to be an insurmountable amount of grievances, just from the sound of the faded sound.

“Come on,” he urged his teammates, “let’s hurry and still that effin’ treasure.”

The set of teens hurried through the winding stone stairway, until arriving in another open room lined with cells. A recognizable figure in an orange jumpsuit stood, as if he had been awaiting the band. Black streaks, much like tears, stained his cheeks and the areas around his eyes.

No one spoke, wary of Ren’s shadow and his plans.

“You really want to continue?” the shadow asked, his voice strained and hoarse.

“Of course we do!” Ann barked. “We can’t just let you destroy yourself like this!”

Ren laughed as Ryuji's breath trembled.

“Look, Ren, we just want to help you,” the blonde voiced, his fist resting against his chest. “You’ve been through a lot of shit and we just wanna ease the load. Let us help you out, man!”

Makoto gave Ryuji a glare, reinstating her warning. “He’s not our Ren, Ryuji.”

As Ryuji ignored Makoto’s advice, Ren scoffed. “What do you know about what I’ve been through?”

“Your old man. He abused you. I may not know your exact experience but I sure as hell knows how it feels to be abused. It’s really shitty, I know. Being an outcast, told you’re a failure, all that shit, Ren! I know how it feels!” Ryuji testified.

Meanwhile, Ren stared at Ryuji, an agonizing look in his eyes that counteracted the snarl on his lips.

“You don’t know a thing.”

Ryuji, as well as those behind him, were caught off by the shadow’s sudden whisper. The soft tone didn’t last long, however.

“ _ YOU DON’T KNOW A FUCKING THING! _ ” Ren roared, his fists balled tightly. A few seconds of deep breaths saw the teen calm slightly. “...Get the hell out of here.”

Ren’s shadow turned his back on the group as a rally of shadows manifested before them.

“Shoot!” Morgana swore. “There’s too many! Let’s retreat for now, guys!”

In full agreement, the party turned tail and ran from the attacking swarm.

**…**

Ren sat in his bedroom after waking up sometime in the evening. He hadn’t moved since he had awoken; he merely stared at the ceiling above him, trying to shut out the strange noises in his head. It was odd, to say the least. He had never had auditory hallucinations before, and he didn’t understand why they were happening now. He knew they weren’t real, but part of him listened to the voices with earnesty. 

The teen’s bumbling thoughts were cut off by a knock on the door. Normally he would have uttered a ‘come in’ or something of the like, but then he simply turned his head toward the door. After a few moments of silence, the sliding door opened with a soft  _ fshhhh _ . 

His guarding stepped into the room, giving Ren a curious look as he closed the door behind him.

“Did you sleep in those clothes?” Sojiro asked, stepping forward to stand by the bedside.

Ren parted his lips slightly before forcing himself to sit up and nod his head in response. The man sighed as he took a seat next to the teen. Just like Ryuji the night before, Sojiro silently sat by Ren, unsure of what to say. Luckily, Ren spoke up first.

“...Futaba told you, didn’t she? ...About my arms, I mean…” he uttered.

Sojiro exhaled heavily. “Yes, she did. I’m not upset with you or anything like that,” he prefaced, turning his head to look fully at the boy. “I don’t wanna ask this of you, but as your guardian… Could you take off your jacket for me?”

The older male managed to catch the brief expression of panic that flashed across Ren’s normally stoic face. Ren, in the meantime, felt his chest tighten as he swallowed hard.

“Y… Yeah…” he managed to spit out, hesitantly removing the clothing.

Sojiro gently grabbed a wrist in each of his hands, carefully straightening out the boy’s arms to inspect the damage. The sight was enough for Sojiro’s heart to drop in his stomach. Upon a glance at the teen’s face, Sojiro noted that Ren had his eyes shut tightly.

There were so many things Sojiro wanted to say in the moment, but instead he settled to take care of the boy’s health first. “Have you disinfected these?” he inquired, running a thumb over the wounds closest to his hand.

“No…”

“Wait here a moment.”

Ren let his arms drop as Sojiro stood and walked out. He kept his eyes closed as he listened to his soon to be father shuffle around in the room next to his. In a matter of seconds, Sojiro had returned. Ren blinked open his eyes, taking a glance at the rubbing alcohol, cotton balls, tweezers, and bandages he had brought back with him.

Setting the bandages on the nightstand, and readying a cotton ball between the tweezers, Sojiro implored, “Let’s clean these up.”

Ren obediently sat still as Sojiro cleaned his arms with the rubbing alcohol, taking care not to wince at the stinging. After several minutes of dabbing the dampened cotton, Sojiro wrapped Ren’s arms in the gauze like bandages, stopping at the beginning of the teen’s elbows.

As Sojiro placed the supplies on Ren’s nightstand, the raven stared down at his bandaged arms.

“...Sojiro…?” Ren choked.

As he returned to his sitting position, the other turned to acknowledge the boy. “Hm?”

Sojiro was caught off guard by what he saw take over Ren’s features. The teen had begun sobbing, tears running down his face as his chest heaved with each breath. Seeing the boy’s state, Sojiro pushed aside his uncertainties and uneasiness to pull him into a comforting embrace. Ren made no attempt to pull away, letting his head fall against the other’s shoulder as his sobs worsened.

“I’m… so sorry,” Ren spluttered between heavy breaths.

“You don’t have anything to apologize for, kid,” Sojiro consoled the miserable boy.

It took several minutes for Ren to collect himself, and even as he did, tears still ran from his glossy eyes. The boy sniffled slightly as he sat himself up to face Sojiro, though he still avoided direct eye contact. He soon bent toward the wall, reaching his arm between the bed and the wall to pull up what looked like an oversized pencil pouch. He shakily handed it to Sojiro, who took it whilst giving an inquisitive look.

“...All my knives and things are in that…” Ren explained, his voice barely audible. Sojiro nodded slowly, setting it by his side without diverting attention from the teen.

“I’ve just gotta ask you one more thing, alright?” Sojiro denoted. When Ren nodded, Sojiro went on, “...Are you suicidal?”

Ren’s breath hitched audibly as a remorseful look crossed his face. His grey eyes fell to his lap, telling Sojiro everything he needed to know.

“I…” Ren spoke softly. “I’ve thought about it, I guess… I don’t want to die necessarily, but… I guess I feel like I deserve it…” his voice faltered at the last few words.

“...Look at me, kid.”

Ren reluctantly lifted his eyes to look at Sojiro, whose face was soft yet serious.

“You don’t deserve anything of the like, you hear me? You’re a much better person than you give yourself credit for. You’ve got me and all your friends here to help you out, okay?”

Ren bobbed his head in understanding. “Yeah… Thanks…”

Sojiro patted the boy’s shoulder. “Get into some fresh clothes and come on out, m’kay? Futaba just got back, so I’ll be making some food.”

Ren agreed quietly, and Sojiro got up and left the room.

Ren scowled to himself, for letting himself break down like he had. He sighed, shaking his head and standing up to change his clothes and head out.


	4. FILLER

Hi! Sorry, this isn't the next chapter. I felt like I made the journey through the palace a little too short so... I'm revamping chapter 4! It will be back up soon!

**Author's Note:**

> I'll do my best to update frequently around my school work! I'm still getting used to how Ao3 works so forgive any formatting errors. PS., I'm bad at ending chapters.


End file.
